"Darling, how long must I wait before seeing you?"
"My love, you're like the moon reflected in the water—so close yet far. I wish to kiss you, but cannot grasp the moonlight."
It was a dream, everything shimmering and hazy, and yet that beautiful silhouette was real, undeniably there.
She sat beneath the moonlight, her silver hair gleaming softly, breathtakingly beautiful. Sylus always wished his beloved would turn her face toward him, but he had never seen her features. This filled him with a deep sorrow, as though every glimpse of her shattered his heart.
A faint voice suddenly rang out at that moment: "You will catch the moon. Come to me."
Sylus's eyes flew open with excitement, the sound of his beloved's voice so unbearably sweet. Clutching at his chest, he rushed forward in a panic, tears streaming down his face. "Could it be… at last, my love is answered? Heavens, am I truly worthy of this?"
Despite his words, his feet carried him faster and faster. But just then, a hand slammed onto his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.
Sylus's expression darkened, murderous intent flashing in his eyes.
He whipped his head around, ready to curse the intruder—only to see Louis's sulky face appear.
"Buddy, you're trying to get a lover before me? You mean to leave your good brother behind in loneliness? Absolutely unacceptable!"
Louis clung onto him like an octopus as he spoke, while the figure of Sylus's beloved in the distance faded into mist.
No, no! Sylus wanted to chase after her, but Louis clung to him like a boulder he couldn't shake off.
"No! Noooooooo!"
Sylus jolted awake from the nightmare, gasping for breath. Before he could collect himself, a sudden kick sent him rolling off the bed.
A heavy thud echoed as he lay sprawled on the floor, veins bulging on his forehead, fists clenched tight.
He got up, and at the exact moment, as if obeying his will, the curtains snapped open, flooding the room with sunlight.
Lying in bed, Louis immediately frowned and buried himself under the blanket.
Sylus strode to the bedside. From the limbs sticking out of the blanket, it wasn't hard to picture Louis's ugly sleeping posture—he was no doubt sprawled out in an X-shape.
Having Louis move in these past few days had given Sylus a direct taste of how much of a nuisance he was.
First, the one bed in the house had been split in half, and Louis slept as if he were fighting a war, rolling endlessly from side to side! Though Sylus was the bigger one, he kept getting shoved into a corner, even kicked out of bed in the middle of the night!
Damn it.
Every single time he dreamed of his beloved, Louis was there to ruin it! Sylus was already considering dealing with the Aurellan family faster to throw Louis into a new home.
What Sylus didn't know was that, after dealing with those lunatics, Louis hadn't dared to sleep correctly. Ever since he stayed at Sylus's place, he has felt relaxed in both body and mind, and his skin has become smoother and more radiant.
At that moment, as if sensing danger, Louis suddenly peeked out from under the blanket, his bleary eyes meeting Sylus's towering figure.
Early in the morning, Sylus wore nothing but his underwear. Louis casually punched him in the abs and muttered, "It's morning. Go to work. Stop bothering my sleep."
Having said that, he turned over to keep sleeping while wondering why Sylus's abs felt so soft today.
Behind him, Sylus was clutching his third leg, biting his lip hard to keep himself from groaning in pain, his expression more pitiful than ever.
"LOUIS!"
In the end, Louis was jolted awake by Sylus choking him. Half-asleep, he reflexively wrapped his legs around Sylus, nearly snapping his neck!
Do you even know how many germs are on your legs, you bastard?!
Louis furiously scrubbed himself under the running water, cursing silently. He knew what he had just done, but didn't dare raise his voice.
Sure enough, when he stepped out of the bathroom fully dressed, Sylus was already waiting by the door with a grin, fist raised. "Hand it over."
Louis felt a chill down below and instinctively backed away. "No, buddy, listen—it was an accident! If a dog bites you, are you really gonna bite it back? Just think of me as that stupid dog!"
Don't joke around! If Sylus punched his "brother down there," it would be ruined for life! He didn't want to become a eunuch!
"I am the kind of guy who bites back at dogs. Hand it over."
With that, Sylus raised his fist and stepped forward. Louis immediately darted back into the bathroom and locked the door.
Seeing Louis's cowering, frightened posture, Sylus felt a flicker of satisfaction—only for it to be replaced by a bitter sense of irony. Who would've thought he had to resort to this to feel like the master of his own home?
"Today I'll make you move out, Louis. Pack your things!" He couldn't let Louis keep interfering with his dreams of his beloved!
With that, Sylus stormed out of the house.
Tch, he didn't even bother calling me buddy anymore.
Louis wandered into the kitchen to find something to eat, though he didn't dwell on it too much. A new house would be lovely—it was just about time for him to start planning his future.
Life was peaceful now, but who knew when those lunatics might reappear? He needed the strength and money to run when the time came.
"Guess I'll have to study mechanics a bit first..." Louis thought as he packed up.
Not that there was much to pack—he came empty-handed, and the only things he owned were what he had bought in the past few days. Altogether, it barely filled a single suitcase.
Feeling quite pleased, Louis strolled into the room to play games, for the first time truly enjoying the comfort of being at home. Sure enough, the Playboy lifestyle suited him better. Thinking that tonight would be the last time he had to share a bed with Sylus, his mood grew even lighter.
They say one should never tempt fate by setting up a flag. That seemed to hold for Sylus—by the end of the day, he still hadn't managed to buy a new house...
And Sylus never came home.
Louis glanced at the time on the screen, quietly taking off his headphones.
His hand still moved over the game controller, the character on screen unleashing punches and kicks in a flurry of combos, battering the opponent until they could not fight back.
With his other hand, he booted up another computer. Countless miniature screens appeared, one of which showed the entrance to the game room.
In the darkness, two figures stood at the door. Silver-gray hair—the unmistakable mark of the noble Aurellan family of Zone 5.
They whispered something to each other, perhaps planning a surprise for him? Louis smirked, though his eyes grew cold.
The Aurellans had tracked him down all the way here. Something must have happened to Sylus—he could only hope the man was still alive.
But regardless of Sylus's fate, Louis's priority now was to get out safely.
Knock, knock, knock!
The slow knocking echoed through the door. Unlike Sylus, if it were Sylus, he would've just kicked the door open—knocking was something foreign to him. Or maybe they didn't even bother imitating him.
"Buddy, knocking on the door all of a sudden? Do you have a surprise for me?"
The foolish voice from inside made the two Aurellans frown. This was the one Sylus defied the family over? How ridiculous.
They didn't reply, simply waiting for the prey inside to enter their trap.
"Buddy, open the door yourself. I'm in the middle of a game!"
The two Aurellans exchanged a glance. One of them turned the handle—and sure enough, the door that had been securely locked was now open from the inside.
The sound effects of the game echoed from within. The idiot inside had no sense of the danger approaching.
Sneering to themselves, the Aurellans stepped into the room.
Just then, one of them suddenly widened his eyes as if realizing something—but Louis's kick sent him flying before he could react!
The two Aurellans toppled over each other onto the ground, while Louis slammed the door shut and bolted outside!
Bang!
Moments later, the door was sliced apart, the severed piece clattering to the floor.
The two Aurellans stepped out with grim faces. Hovering beside them were two small orbs with a single red-glowing eye.
"Find him!" one of them commanded.
At once, the orbs shot out, scanning the area. Wherever their laser beams swept, walls melted and split apart in their wake.